Aubrey Huff
Aubrey Lewis Huff III (born December 20, 1976, in Marion, Ohio) is a Major League Baseball first baseman with the San Francisco Giants. He debuted in 2000 with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and later played for the Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, and Detroit Tigers. He is the starting first baseman for the San Francisco Giants who won the 2010 World Series. He played college baseball at the University of Miami. Early life Huff grew up in Mineral Wells, Texas. When he was six years old, his father, Aubrey II, was killed as an innocent bystander in a workplace domestic dispute, fatally shot attempting to take away a gun from a threatening man. Huff attended Mineral Wells High School, then transferred to Brewer High School in Fort Worth before his junior year in 1992. Huff was an All-District baseball player and also excelled in basketball for the Brewer Bears, and graduated in 1994. College career After attending Vernon College in north Texas, Huff transferred to the University of Miami in Florida and, as a junior, was named second team "All-American" by Baseball Weekly. In his final season, he set a school season record with 95 RBIs and led the Hurricanes in home runs (21), doubles (20) and total bases (179). During his two seasons, the Hurricanes had a 102–30 record and, in 1998, the team set school records for home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage and total bases. Huff led the team with 21 home runs and a school record 95 RBIs. He garnered first team All-American honors from Baseball America, The Sporting News and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. For his career, his .400 batting average is second all-time, and he is third with a .719 slugging percentage. He is tied for three individual game records: most runs, five (3/28/97 vs. Harvard); most doubles, four (5/16/97 vs. Ga. Tech); and most home runs in an inning, two (5/21/98 vs. Bowling Green). His 1998 stats include a.768 slugging percentage (second highest in school history), a .412 batting average (fourth highest), 179 total bases (fourth highest) and 21 home runs (fifth highest). Huff was inducted into the university's sports Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2009, with a ceremony that took place at the University of Miami baseball team's 2009 home opener on Friday, February 20, 2009. Former teammate Pat Burrell drove down from Tampa for the on-field ceremony where Aubrey was given his Hall of Fame ring, plaque, and jacket. Professional career Tampa Bay Devil Rays Huff was Tampa Bay's fifth-round selection in the 1998 MLB draft and quickly advanced through their minor league system. He was named the Devil Rays' "Minor League Player of the Year" in 2000 at Durham and International League Rookie of the Year. Huff made his major league debut later that year and spent the final two months of the season with the Rays, where he hit .287. In 2002, Huff ended the season with a .313 batting average, leading the Devil Rays. He then hit 34 home runs—another team high—during the 2003 season, adding 107 RBIs while sporting a .311 batting average that also led the club. Houston Astros On July 12, 2006, the Houston Astros acquired Huff from Tampa Bay for minor leaguers Mitch Talbot and Ben Zobrist. In his debut with the Astros on July 13, Huff went 2-4 with a three-run homer. Baltimore Orioles On December 30, 2006 Huff signed a 3-year $20 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles. Before the 2008 season, Huff switched his uniform number from 19 to 17, in honor of his former teammate Joe Kennedy, who died during the previous offseason. He was named AL Player of the Week in July 2008 after hitting .345 with three home runs and nine RBIs. At the end of the season, Huff was named "Most Valuable Oriole," and was awarded the 2008 Silver Slugger Award at DH and won the Edgar Martinez Award for best designated hitter in the league, the first by an Oriole since Tommy Davis in 1974. The 2009 season saw Huff play more regularly at first base. He hit for the cycle that year. Detroit Tigers On August 17, 2009, Huff cleared waivers and was traded to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for pitching prospect Brett Jacobson. San Francisco Giants On January 10, 2010, Huff unofficially agreed to sign a contract with the San Francisco Giants, pending a physical examination. On January 12, Huff officially signed a 1-year $3 million contract with the Giants. The deal was formally announced the following day. On April 14, 2010, Huff hit his first career inside-the-park home run, with the San Francisco Giants, in the second inning of a day game at AT&T Park against Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Charlie Morton. Huff hit the ball on the first pitch of the at bat to the right field wall, where it took a weird bounce off the score board and allowed Huff to advance 360ft. On the very next at-bat, Huff hammered one to the deep center field wall, but was caught by Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen. During the Giants' 2010 playoff race and postseason, Huff became known for wearing a red "rally thong." This was Huff's first ever, and long awaited playoff experience. On November 1, 2010, the Giants clinched a 4-1 series victory in the 2010 World Series against the Texas Rangers, giving Huff his first World Series ring. On November 23, 2010, Huff re-signed a $22 million dollar contract with the Giants for two years with a club option for 2013. Legacy Huff has hit 225 career home runs, placing him in the Top 400 (tied 313th overall) players by total career home runs. He hit for the cycle on June 29, 2007, a night on which he also made his 1000th hit, and 200th double. He is one of four Orioles to hit for the cycle (Brooks Robinson, Cal Ripken, Jr., and Felix Pie). He was the first player to do so at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. He remains the Devil Rays' (2nd as of 2010) all time leader in home runs and intentional walks, along with several single-season records. Huff has played at five different positions in his career: first base, third base, left field, right field, and as designated hitter. Huff has the logos of the Autobots and Decepticons tattooed on his shoulder blades. Controversy On November 13, 2007, on an appearance of Bubba the Love Sponge show, Huff described Baltimore as "a horseshit city" when asked about the city's night life. He later said his remarks were taken out of context and he was only commenting on the city's night life. During the Giants World Series parade, Huff paid a tribute to the movie Zoolander by pulling the "Rally Thong" out of his pants. Family Huff married the former Barbara "Baubi" Heaton on January 27, 2007. The couple has two sons, Jayce, born September 4, 2008, and Jagger, born September 15, 2010. They reside in Tampa, Florida, in the off-season. Category:San Francisco Giants Category:Detroit Tigers Category:Baltimore Orioles Category:Houston Astros Category:Tampa Bay Devil Rays Category:Players Category:Tampa Bay Rays players